De zojuist gereleased MSN Messenger 2.0 kan niet meer communiceren met America Online's Instant Messenger, zo bericht News.com. Microsoft lijkt hiermee z'n nederlaag te erkennen in de instant messenger oorlog die afgelopen zomer in alle hevigheid lost barstte. Volgens Billy is het besluit echter genomen omdat compatibiliteit met AIM tevens een beveiligingslek met zich mee zou brengen. News.com suggereert dat de stap een politieke beweegreden heeft:
Microsoft said the decision, which coincided with the launch of its redesigned MSN Web portal, was based on an AOL software bug that could pose a security risk for MSN users."We have now reached a point where an interim solution is no longer possible," Microsoft said in a statement. "With the release of MSN Messenger Service 2.0, Microsoft has decided it is more important to protect the security of MSN Messenger users while remaining focused on driving toward an industry standard."
Although Microsoft took pains to characterize the move as a technical decision, it could also give the company some much-needed political capital.
Microsoft foreshadowed today's decision in public statements last week following a stinging court ruling in the Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the software giant.
